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Massachusetts families ‘at risk’ under Gov. Healey’s proposed mental health cuts, critics say

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Massachusetts families ‘at risk’ under Gov. Healey’s proposed mental health cuts, critics say


Directors overseeing programs that provide intensive mental health help to Massachusetts’ most vulnerable children and adolescents say Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to consolidate the services has caught them “off guard.”

The Healey administration is looking to save $15.3 million in the next fiscal year’s budget by slashing funding for a 30-bed dual intensive residential treatment program for adolescents in Westboro and a 12-bed program for children ages 6-12 in Belchertown.

Officials with the state Department of Mental Health say the programs are operating at half capacity and consolidating them would ensure “taxpayer dollars are used effectively,” but the providers argue that there’s much more to the story.

If the proposal gets legislative approval in Healey’s roughly $62 billion budget request, the Bay State would lose its only intensive residential treatment program for children between the ages of 6 and 12 who are suffering from suicidal and/or homicidal ideations or other complex needs.

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Tina Champagne, CEO of Cutchins Programs for Children and Families, runs the program, called “Three Rivers,” based in Western Massachusetts that serves children from all over the state. She called the governor’s request “mind boggling.”

“These services are needed or are going to be needed more than ever,” Champagne told the Herald. “The mental health crisis for children and families started to really increase after COVID. The pandemic ripple effects are still in effect in addition to all the uncertainty in the world.”

NFI Massachusetts provides intensive services to adolescents ages 13-18 who suffer from “serious emotional disturbance, trauma histories or mental health diagnoses.”

The program is like Three Rivers in that it helps those who need more care than what’s provided in a hospital or a more community-based setting, like at a school or doctor’s office, Executive Director Lydia Todd told the Herald.

“We maintain that the reasons for the underutilization do not equate to no need,” Todd said, “but there are instead bureaucratic obstacles, lack of marketing and lack of knowledge that needs to happen to make sure we are fully utilized.”

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The proposed funding cuts are even more baffling, Champagne and Todd said, after they highlighted how the state had “invested millions” to relocate their programs within the past few years.

NFI Massachusetts and Three Rivers are not state-owned. The DMH has said that it “incurs the same costs regardless of whether a program is fully or partially utilized” as the programs are “contracted through an accommodation rate model.”

The proposed funding cuts “also reflect our commitment to helping people transition to receiving mental health care services in their homes and communities, which is a more effective way to provide treatment,” the agency says.

“However,” it has added, “adolescent patients will still be able to receive treatment at other locations in the state and younger children will be able to receive acute care treatment at hospitals when necessary.”

An agency spokesperson told the Herald Saturday that the governor’s proposed DMH budget requests an increase of $1.2 billion, or 7% more than current spending. The spokesperson added that the agency has “expanded access to care through our 31 Community Behavioral Health Centers.

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“The Department of Mental Health is committed to supporting mental health needs across our state,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

After facing sharp backlash in the weeks following her budget proposal announcement in January, Healey decided to halt plans to close a Cape Cod psychiatric hospital and a Canton children’s rehab hospital. Working groups of stakeholders have convened to look into the future of both facilities.

An online petition urging the state to restore the “major cuts” to DMH’s youth and family services said losing the intensive residential treatment programs would “put entire families at risk.”

“This loss would force children to ‘board’ at home while waiting for the proper level of care,” the petition states, “affect schools, increase court involvement, and result in more lives lost to suicide. It will drive Emergency Room boarding back up.”

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Massachusetts

New England serial killer fears stoked by 13th body found in small town

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New England serial killer fears stoked by 13th body found in small town


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The discovery of Adriana Suazo’s body in a wooded area in Milton, Massachusetts has intensified growing concerns across New England about the number of unexplained deaths in the region in recent months. 

Suazo, a 21-year-old Boston resident, was found by a passerby around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, in Milton, Mass, which is approximately 8 miles south from the capitol city, according to a press release from the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

The department said that there were no obvious signs of trauma, and the cause of death is under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

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Suazo’s death is the latest in a troubling sequence of cases. Since March 2025, at least 13 bodies have been found across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine, many of them in remote or wooded areas. 

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER STOKED BY 12TH BODY FOUND IN 3 MONTHS, 2 IN SAME TOWN

The body of 21-year-old Adriana Suazo was found at 11:45 a.m. in the area of 143 Central Ave. by a passerby, officials said.

Water and boat during sunset

The discovery of Adriana Suazo’s body in a wooded area in Milton, Massachusetts has stoked growing concerns across New England. (Town of Milton via Facebook)

The circumstances vary, from dismemberments to unattended deaths of the now 13 bodies found throughout the tight-knit region.

While local police departments and district attorneys continue to investigate each case individually, the sheer volume and proximity in time have led to mounting public speculation about the possibility of a serial offender.

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Law enforcement agencies have pushed back against the notion of a single perpetrator, citing the absence of forensic links from each case.

New England serial killer, map of where victim have been found.

A map showing the locations of where bodies in the New England area have been found. (Fox News)

Victims in New England Region

On March 6, 35-year-old Paige Fannon was found dead in the Norwalk River in Connecticut, the same day a human skull was discovered in a wooded area near Route 3 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Later that month, on March 19, the dismembered remains of 58-year-old Suzanne Wormser were found in a suitcase in Groton, Connecticut; her roommate was arrested but died shortly afterward in custody. 

Denise Leary, 59, was found dead in New Haven on March 25, followed a day later by 56-year-old Michele Romano, whose remains were located in the woods in Foster, Rhode Island.

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS: 10 BODIES NOW FOUND IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS

The trend continued into April. On April 9, unidentified remains were found in Killingly, Connecticut. 

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On April 20, a body was pulled from the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, followed by another body found in the Connecticut River near Rocky Hill on April 27. 

That same day, another body was discovered in Taunton, Massachusetts. On April 22, the body of 45-year-old Meggan Meredith was found near a bike path in Springfield, Massachusetts.

More recently, on May 30, 34-year-old Jasmine Wilkes was found deceased in Edgewood Park in New Haven.

Milton, Massachusetts town center

The Milton, Massachusetts town center. (Google Maps)

Suazo’s sister, Melanie Pizarro, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral expenses, describing Adriana as “rambunctious, bold, and had a personality that could light up any room.” 

“Adriana wasn’t just my sister—she was a firecracker, full of life, laughter, and fierce love,” she said. “She loved hard, laughed loud, and made sure the people around her felt it.”

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A vigil was held near the site where Suazo’s body was found, with family and friends gathering to honor her memory.



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Chelsea family files federal complaint over ICE detainment of man on Mother's Day

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Chelsea family files federal complaint over ICE detainment of man on Mother's Day


A family from Chelsea, Massachusetts, has filed a federal complaint over their treatment by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents during an arrest on Mother’s Day.

In the May 11 incident, the family was leaving church when several federal agency vehicles intercepted them at the border between Everett and Chelsea, according to video of the incident shared with Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra. After several minutes of arguing, and refusing to obey their request to roll down their window, agents broke the window to remove the man from the car.

After removing the man from the car, agents threw him to the ground and handcuffed him. Inside the vehicle were the rest of his family, including his wife and children. With the agents above him, the man could be heard asking why they were arresting him, saying he wasn’t resisting.

Laywers for Civil Rights, which has filed a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act on behalf of the family, said the man arrested was Daniel Flores-Martinez. His wife Kenia Guerrero, who is a U.S. citizen, was also held by police during the incident.

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Flores-Martinez was taken to an immigration detention center where he remains in custody, having been denied a request for a stay of removal.

“My children watched as their father was physically attacked, treated like an animal, and ripped away from us,” Guerro said in a media release.. “They have so many questions, but I don’t have the answers. Why would the government tear our family apart like this? No mother should have to explain this kind of cruelty to her children.”

Layers for Civil Rights says this reflects a larger pattern of behavior by ICE.

Law enforcement officials cannot open the car door without justification. A car’s interior as a whole is subject to Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable intrusions. No family should experience this level of fear, intimidation, and violence, especially not in front of young children on Mother’s Day and the Sabbath,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights.

We reached out to ICE after the initial incident for comment, but did not hear back at the time.

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This is one of many apparent ICE operations that have caused controversy across the Greater Boston area in recent weeks, many of which have been captured on video. Agents were seen breaking a car window in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in April before taking a man inside into custody. That man was eventually released on bond when the government failed to provide charging documents.

There was a chaotic scene in Worcester when community members tried to prevent ICE agents from arresting a local mother. Video recorded by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra on May 8 showed Worcester police, who were called in as the situation escalated,  holding a 16-year-old girl’s face to the ground. The 16-year-old and another woman, Ashley Spring, were arrested by Worcester police. A Worcester city councilor is also facing charges.

Turkish Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by federal agents on the streets of Somerville and sent to a detention center in Louisiana. She was released after weeks of legal back-and-forth, has returned to Massachusetts and continues to fight her immigration case.

In a press conference earlier this week, ICE acting director Todd Lyons defended the work of his agency and said these operations are in the interest of public safety. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley further warned that anyone who interferes or obstructs operations is subject to prosecution.

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Kennet Santizo

Kennet Santizo

Stills from video showing federal agents breaking an SUV window and detaining a man who was inside in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.



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2 of the top fishing charters in America are in Massachusetts, according to USA Today readers

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2 of the top fishing charters in America are in Massachusetts, according to USA Today readers


Travel

Plan your next fishing adventure.

Guests on Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro. Reel Deal Fishing Charters

For those dreaming of catching a big one this summer, two of the best fishing charters in America are in Massachusetts, according to USA Today readers.


  • Your Boston Harbor Islands guide for the 2025 season

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The publication released a list of the 10 best fishing charters in America on Wednesday, part of its 2025 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and Fishbucket Sportfishing in Boston ranked No. 2 and Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro ranked No. 4.

“Whether you’re looking to polish your angling skills on calm inshore waters or head offshore in search of your next big catch, booking a fishing charter is a swell idea,” wrote USA Today.

Guests on Fishbucket Sportfishing set sail from downtown Boston on the 32-foot Fishbucket.

“For novice fishers, a jaunt along Boston Harbor provides ample insight into the sport, while more experienced anglers can go all-in on an offshore trip to search for massive tuna and even sharks,” wrote USA Today.

About Reel Deal Fishing Charters on Cape Cod, USA Today wrote, “For those wishing to spend a vacation day searching for native New England sea life, Reel Deal Fishing Charters is a top choice. Fish like striped bass and bluefin tuna can be found throughout the area.”

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For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards lists, USA Today travel experts select 20 nominees in topics from food to lodging, destinations to things to do. Then the publication asks readers to cast votes to determine the top 10.

The No. 1 fishing charter is Hubbard’s Marina in Madeira Beach, Florida.

Check out USA Today‘s list of the 10 best fishing charters in America.

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Kristi Palma

Culture writer

 

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.





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